Already Mine
by Faralyne
Summary: Gray thoroughly wondered how it got to this.
1. Chapter One

**Already Mine**

 _By Faralyne_

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail and all that jazz.

Author Notes: I don't even know where in the story I want this fanfiction to take place, so pick a place in or after that seems right to you. It probably won't be accurate, since it's been a while since I've read it, lol. But, I like the character dynamics, so here I am. I am also trying to keep the chapters short even though this may be a long story. I also don't have a plan for this story and am winging it.

Rating: M

Pairings: Natsu x Gray

Summary: Gray thoroughly wondered how it got to this.

O– Chapter One –O

Gray's eyes slowly opened against the soft light seeping through the windows of the wooden house. He blinked twice, the rest of his senses catching up to him as he took in his surroundings.

The melting warmth of the comfortable bed, soft blanket, and firm pillow. The smoke wafting from the burning fire pit. The dripping faucet. The overturned chairs and the cleared, cracked table. The floor littered with his clothes and everything that used to be on the table. The used condoms splattered _everywhere_. The soreness and throbbing aches in his exhausted body.

And the strong arm thrown over his waist possessively.

Gray heard the man behind him sigh, the arm around his waist tightening a bit.

"Gray, are you awake?" he asked as he pressed closer, breathing in deep and peppering kisses to the back of Gray's neck. Right over the raging red bite mark.

"Yeah, Natsu," Gray whispered. He didn't understand why he was whispering and cleared his throat to speak a little louder, "Are you back to normal now?"

Natsu tensed a bit, staying silent for minutes on end. Finally, he pulled away from Gray, his arm lingering on Gray's waist longer than necessary.

"Yeah, I'm… good now. I think it's over."

Gray rubbed his eyes with his palms and sat up. His dark blue eyes flickered over to the man lying next to him, taking in his wrecked appearance. Natsu's pink hair stuck out in every direction. His skin littered in kiss marks and scratches. His lips still pressed red and raw, his skin still glistening with sweat. Gray could only guess how much more wrecked he looked in comparison.

He cleared his throat, "Uh, great, well, I'm going to go home… I'll see you at the guild later?" Gray broke away from the warmth of the bed, realizing most of it must have come from Natsu, and started to dress himself in his wrinkled and tattered clothes. His stomach growled viciously in its hollowed void.

'I guess that happens when all you do is fuck three days straight,' Gray thought.

Natsu sat up quickly, staring. His eyes snapped up to Gray's face. He shook his head, finally cracking his signature grin. "Yeah, 'course!"

"All right, see you," Gray replied, giving a curt wave as he left Natsu's house in the middle of the forest.

Gray thoroughly wondered how it got to this.


	2. Chapter Two

**Already Mine**

 _By Faralyne_

Author's Note: Song lyrics are from Distraction by Kehlani.

O– Chapter Two –O

{Three Weeks + Three Days Ago}

The magic streetlights glowed in the night sky, the winter air slowly sinking into Magnolia. Natsu stopped in his tracks. He stretched his hands up and breathed in the air dramatically.

"It's good to be back!"

He finally returned from a two-day solo quest—the village had explicitly requested him—where he had to track a group of escaped criminals who were stealing women and children and holding them hostage against the village that "wronged them". Well, Natsu hunted them and beat them down easily. It would have taken less time too if Erza hadn't scared him into swearing he wouldn't set the village ablaze while fighting.

Natsu continued down the street, hands resting in his pants pockets. He strolled, taking in the town he loved with all his heart. The multi-colored, brick houses. The light fluttering of the town flags. The beats of music pulsing through the faded tiles. The smell of winter filling Natsu's nose.

He stopped again, turning in the direction of this smell.

'No, not just winter,' he thought as he followed the smell down a different street. It smelled like roasted chestnuts, earthy and sweet. To Natsu, everyone had a unique scent, and that was Gray's scent undeniably.

Music poured out of a sketchy-looking building with a line of scantily dressed people standing outside. A word lit up in deep red was plastered overhead in cursive writing, " _Ride_ ". Natsu had passed by this placed multiple times before, but he'd never gone in—he didn't know what it was.

'Probably a nightclub by the sound of it.'

And Gray's scent drifted from it. He shrugged. Trying his luck, Natsu strolled up to the lanky bouncer at the front of the line.

"Name," the bouncer stated, demanding rather than asking.

"Natsu Dragneel."

The bouncer flipped through his long list of names. "Not on the list."

Natsu scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, but, my friend's in there though."

"Name."

"Gray Fullbuster."

The bouncer flipped through the list once more before marking something on the paper and stepping to the side. "Go on ahead, Mr. Dragneel. I apologize for the delay."

'Sweet.' Natsu didn't know why that worked, but he didn't really care. He grinned, ducking passed the bouncer and into the dimly lit club.

 _Do me a favor, pick me up, take me out later_

 _Don't worry about no paper_

 _Because I got much stacked up for nights like this_

The (small) responsible part of Natsu nagged him about why he was messing around in a club right after he returned or why he cared that Gray was in here or why he wasn't freaked out he could smell Gray so easily in the first place.

Natsu knew he had a good nose, but this was sort of ridiculous. This place was packed, sweaty bodies grinding and meshing, odors mingling and changing. There was no way he should have picked out Gray the way he did.

 _My life can get crazy, I deal with shit on the daily_

 _But baby, I'm thinking maybe_

 _We could agree to work it out like this_

Yet, there he was. Right where Natsu's senses led him. And left him rooted to the spot in a crowd of swaying bodies.

Gray had been hoisted onto the bar top, his legs dangling off the counter, open and inviting the burly man plastered in front of him. He was grinning, his eyes half lidded and heavily influenced by whatever he'd been drinking. The burly man's hands were all over him, running down Gray's shirtless torso and circling towards the small of his back. He was whispering in Gray's ear—well, half whispering and half trailing his lips along the beige lobe, causing Gray to shudder lightly.

 _I need you to give me your time_

 _I need you to not want to be mine_

 _Are you down to be a distraction, baby?_

Natsu's mind shut down as he watched Gray. He couldn't think straight. His heart hammered in his chest as the shock washed over his body. But, he didn't dare tear his eyes away. He was glued to scene.

'So, Gray swings that way,' Natsu managed to think, 'Juvia's going to flood the town.'

Unexpectedly, icy blue eyes locked with Natsu's black ones. Natsu swallowed under the shear intensity pouring from those widening eyes. Gray visibly stiffened. He hastily shoved the burly man off, disappearing from Natsu's vision in the blink of an eye.


	3. Chapter Three

**Already Mine**

 _By Faralyne_

O– Chapter Three –O

Gray didn't dare to stop running until the door to his studio apartment slammed shut.

He slid to the floor, chest heaving, lungs begging for air, eyes darting in the darkness.

His apartment was icy. Normally, that would soothe him. Tonight, it cloaked him chilling apprehension.

His mind choked on one detail. One fact that could destroy the superficial happiness he built up and the secret he happily kept to himself.

'Natsu found out.'

A shuddering breath escaped his dry lips. An attempt to calm him down. He needed to think this through. Gray ran a cold hand through his spiky hair, snagging and pulling at any knots.

But like an old dam cracking under pressure, a million new thoughts flooded his mind.

'Why was Natsu there in the first place?'

'How did he even get in? I thought he didn't like those types of scenes. Did he use my name to get in?'

'Wasn't he on some quest?'

'Does this mean other guild members were there?'

'Did he really see me? Did he know it was me?'

'No shit, I looked him straight in the eyes before hightailing it out of there,' Gray thought, a morbid huff following.

'What if he tells someone?'

It was no surprise Natsu had a loud mouth. But, was it loose?

Gray hated to admit it, but he and Natsu were close. They had an unbreakable bond—an unbreakable friendship that pulled them through dangerous situations and scarring tribulations. Again, Gray was not one to admit it. Most of the time, Natsu wasn't one to either. Under the pretense of friendship, it was a weird bond. Gray couldn't describe it, so "unbreakable friendship" would have to do. Exploring it would open doors neither of them were ready for. It was a lot easier to keep each other close by the pull of an insult or the challenge of a prank. It was just how they operated.

That scared Gray. Natsu might not think much of his discovery. Gray didn't doubt Natsu would accept him the way he was, but he might not realize that not everyone was Natsu Dragneel. Natsu might just blabber to the guild to be funny or to initiate a playful fight or to just embarrass Gray a little bit. Yes, Gray was bisexual, but he tended to prefer guys over girls. Not everyone may be open to that kind of news. Or worse, they might think different of him.

Gray loved the guild. They were his family. He knew they would either accept him as he is, or they might take a little time to—but no one would shun him.

However, it wasn't about acceptance to Gray. He was afraid of losing the bonds he had now. No matter how much they may try to hide it, this little piece of information would mold those bonds. They would see him differently, pretending they didn't. And although the guild would always accept him, they would now be forced to accept him for different reasons. They would change their words or watch what they say. They would look back on past interactions and wonder self-centered thoughts.

Gray stared into the darkness, drowning in his thoughts, until the morning sunlight found his hiding spot.


	4. Chapter Four

**Already Mine**

 _By Faralyne_

O– Chapter Four –O

Natsu hadn't seen Gray since… Since the club. Three days ago. Natsu shook his head, ridding the frustration from his mind. Every time he remembered how close that man was to Gray, how he slid his hands down Gray's back and dragged his lips across Gray's earlobe—it made his stomach churn hot and his skin sting like needles pricked him.

He did not like that feeling.

"Ah! Natsu, stop burning your food!"

He snapped his head up, glancing at the completely charred piece of meat between his fingers. A sheepish grin tugged at his lips as Natsu looked at Levy and Lucy.

"Whoops."

Natsu dropped the chunk on his plate, trying to focus on anything other than the girls' curious and worried stares.

"Is everything all right?" Lucy asked, "I don't think I've ever seen you hold onto food longer than a minute, let alone scorch and leave it on your plate."

Natsu smiled at the kind girl and shook his head. "Yeah, Luce! Just lost in thought. …Thinking about how long it took to run back from my quest."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You know, if it annoys you enough to burn your food, maybe you should take the train instead of travelling by foot," she said, matter-of-factly.

He whined, "But the train hurts! And Wendy wasn't there to help!"

The girls laughed at his pouting face. Levy said something in return—something about a natural motion sickness remedy—but the smell of winter had Natsu's senses on high alert, fading everything else into the background.

Natsu's eyes were trained on the entrance of the guild. He could just barely hear the familiar footsteps, the familiar heartbeat, approaching. This time, he could smell even further than winter; the minty soap and shampoo Gray used, the fresh detergent on his clothes, the hint of vanilla ice cream.

He was overly aware of Gray's presence, and that fact scared him.

The footsteps paused in front of the guild doors, but Gray's heartbeat escalated. And, for a minute, he just stood outside the guild entrance. Natsu just wanted to rip open the doors—to remove this barrier between them. He was itching to be closer, the longing tickling his fingertips.

Longing?

Maybe Natsu didn't get enough sleep last night because his emotions were all frazzled and sending out the wrong signals. Just as a dog did not purr, Natsu did not _long_ for Gray Fullbuster. He rubbed a hand over his face to bring himself back to reality.

'What is wrong with me?'

Fingers snapped in front of Natsu's face. He jolted back, cutting his eye at the same set of worried eyes.

"Earth to Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed. "Geez, you seriously left us for a moment there…" Lucy's voice trailed off again as the creak of the guild doors opening grabbed hold of Natsu's attention.

"Hey Gray!"

"Haven't seen you in a bit, where ya' been?"

The guild's greetings seemed to calm Gray's heart a bit. He looked almost embarrassed for being so on edge. Gray rubbed the back of his neck, sighing and making his way over to the bar.

"Hey guys," he greeted, his voice almost sheepish. He glanced at Natsu once.

Lucy beamed up at him. "Hi Gray! You've been scarce around here lately."

"Yeah, just had some errands to do. What have you guys been up to?"

"Nothing much, just talking. Well, Levy and I are—Natsu's been spacing out the whole time."

"Spacing out? Impossible. How can someone with no brain get lost in thought?" Gray smirked.

Lucy laughed, "Don't be mean!" She touched Gray's shoulder to playfully shove him—

—But, Natsu snatched her hand and slammed it on the bar top.

The dull bang grabbed the attention of the whole guild, but it was Lucy's yelp that hushed it.

"O-ow! Natsu, what are you—oh my god," Lucy exclaimed, her voice quivering. Her eyes were trained on Natsu's face. His pupils were blood red slits behind narrowed eyelids. She could almost see the outline of scales pushing out from his cheeks. His teeth gnashed in a low growl.

Gray tore Natsu's hand from Lucy's, his eyes wide and trained on the red slits now focused on him.

Natsu slowly licked and bit his bottom lip.

A shiver crawled down Gray's spine. Natsu's hand tightened against his, and Gray couldn't control the spike in his heartbeat. "What are you do—"

 _BAM!_

Suddenly, Natsu smashed his forehead against the bar top. He didn't move, his shoulders bunched up, and his hand pulled from Gray's hold.

Natsu quickly sat up. Blood trickled from the bruise forming on his forehead. However, the red slits and light scales disappeared. He looked around at the eyes of every confused guild member, chuckling nervously. He gave Lucy the most apologetic look he could muster through his own confusion.

"Ah! What's that!?" Natsu suddenly pointed to a corner before sprinting from his seat and out the guild doors.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'


End file.
